remenis
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Posts posted by remenis
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I would guess that that one posting is an unofficial "interview," probably more of a talk with a POI than a departmental interview. I do not think the department is done yet.
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hi, i have just completed my application to washington university in st. louis. in the online application system, it is written it is strongly encouraged to apply earlier. I have some quess. But what does this mean to you? Bad sign?
Hi Orient,
I can't say for sure since I know nothing about this department, but one big reason to get applications in early is that some departments read the applications as they come in - meaning that the earlier the applications go in the more time the professors have to read them over, and the more closely they can read the fewest early ones rather than the giant pile they get right before the deadline.
That said - not every department reads applications this way, many do not look at a single one until after the deadline date, and I have heard some statistic that the vast majority (something like 90% I think) of applicants apply only within the last ten days before the deadline (and I certainly did on all of my applications), so don't stress it over too much.
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Haha - no worries crater21, I am pretty sure we all obsess about it.
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Which results page is this? In the history forum or on the main threads?
Neither - it's this: http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php
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I applied to the MA in medieval studies at Toronto too and it was definitely a pretty weird application! I had the most trouble with this last question as well - I was pretty straightforward in saying that I plan to apply to phd programs afterwards but saying that only took up a tiny amount of space compared to how much I wrote for the other questions. I tried to elaborate about why I want this education and career but even though this question makes sense going last chronologically it still made me feel like i was ending my SOP on such a strange note.
And i also had major uploading problems with their app - I uploaded my transcript wrong and then had to contact the school to get them to reset that part so I could upload it again.
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SapperDaddy: have you actually posted something on this thread that relates its original intent?
Undergrad Institution: 2nd tier state school, commuter school, close to home and cheap
M.A. Program: state technical/agricultural school. Well respected in some fields, underrepresented in mine. As a bonus though, they had an untapped archive that was in my field that had some one-of-a-kind resources.
Honors Program: no, not even sure that was an option
B.A. Major(s): History, Political Science
M.A. Major(s):History (Central European nationalism)
GPA in B.A Major: 3.8
Overall undergrad GPA:3.48 (first 2 semesters of mechanical engineering didn't help)
Position in Class: I don't think they even ranked us
M.A. GPA: 3.8
Type of Student: White male. Veteran. nontradiational (older) student. First in family to ever get a graduate degree.
GRE Scores (revised): not sure what the revised part means
Q: 620 (62nd)
V:680 (93rd)
W:5.5 (91st)
Research Experience: M.A Thesis. Also two articles submitted, pending peer review.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Finalist for best graduate paper Western Social Science Association. Winner of best graduate paper for Western Association of Slavic Studies, national finalist for ASEEES best graduate essay.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs:.T.A. all semesters of Master's program. Adjunct professor since graduating. Organized annual campus film festival with period films from my field.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Veteran of Kosovo/Balkans conflict, many military leadership positions. Founded my own business, serving on state regulatory commission (appointed by the governor) for my industry.
Applying to Where: U of Washington, George Washington University, Northern Illinois, UC Berkeley, University of Utah (to keep my mother happy)
Research Interests & Areas of Focus: Interwar Czechoslovakia, nationalism and nation-building. I want to look at the role that the Czechoslovak Legion played in the politics of Czechoslovakia between the world wars.
Languages: English (native), Czech (near native, lived there 2 years, translation work in the army), German (studied in high school and 1 year university, lived in Germany 6 months, but mostly at a reading level now), Slovak (with a big Czech accent, but near native reading level), Polish (beginning)
Letters of Recommendations: Major professor for my MA, now retired, but was one of the top in his field, professor I TAed for, she says I'm the best student she's even worked with (got to love that). Professor from my undergrad institution who is also my supervisor as an adjunct and who I organized the film festival for.
Statement of Purpose: I focused on my experiences outside the academy, as I feel that between my military and work experience I really stand out. I also outlined my research interested and preparations in the field.
Writing Sample: I submitted the essay that was a finalist for the ASEEES award.
Communication with POIs: email with all potential ones. Visited two schools and spoke with POIs there.
Lessons Learned from Application Process:I hate waiting for something I know I don't have a whole lot of control over.
Did you not see this post?
- Pitangus and SapperDaddy
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Well, between yesterday and today, my Columbia application has made it to the department. If the past is any indicator, they'll send out waitlist and acceptance announcements in the middle of February.
Did they email you to tell you this, or did you just find out from the status check? I hadn't looked at the status check until now, and just spent 15 minutes panicking because I didn't see where it said "at department" on the status check and hadn't gotten an email from them...
My Columbia application also just says "submitted" with no "at department" anywhere - but I got an email over a week ago from my POI there who said he was reading my application - so I know the department has had it for a while.
It might be different for different subfields - my POI mentioned that at Columbia they first divide the apps into subfield and hand them to the professors in that individual field to review - perhaps they each go on a slightly different schedule?
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You really don't think that these schools have sent these emails to each of their applicants who have indicated an interest in a field that would require considerable language traning and fieldwork? Which is to say that they aren't necessarily trying to build a competitive package for me but rather that they want their applicant equally aware of these external awards, which will ultimately help these programs off set costs.
I actually do think that these schools just send the FLAS fellowship information to every applicant who might possibly require language training. I received an email from one of my schools addressed "dear applicant," and urging me to apply for a FLAS if I am eligible - but the email then said the school had the ability to fund language preparation only in a set list of languages none of which would be even remotely applicable to my work.
In my case it kind of indicated to me that it wasn't a personally directed email, just an email generally directed to the applicant pool.
HTH
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I can see your concerns about getting a masters - but it would certainly be the best way to prove your research abilities and pudewen makes a very good point about whether or not you will know that research is for you.
Maeisenb also makes a really good point - perhaps you can complete some independent research with primary sources (possibly through a local historical society? - how easy this is would depend heavily on your field of interest) and use that work as a writing sample to prove to grad schools that you can handle the work.
You could also consider emailing professors near you whose work you admire and asking if they need any unpaid research assistance - it wouldn't beat completing your own project, but might help.
In the end though, a masters is still honestly going to be your best bet. There are some funded and some one year programs out there. There are especially a lot of shorter, one year programs abroad which might cut down the cost and limit the circuitous time.
You might want to throw in at least one masters application (many of the deadlines - especially in the UK have not passed) as a back up option. Because none of us can really tell you whether or not you'll be able to get in based on your currently lack of research experience, you just have to try and see. But if you can't, having applied to the masters now will save you from waiting another year if that does end up being the best option.
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Given that the rest of your application is strong, it wouldn't put you completely out of the running but it would certainly be noticed on an application. Have you considered doing a masters degree before a PhD in order to write a thesis/complete independent research?
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Publications and Professional Memberships if you have any might be good too.
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It is definitely both. I was told so by a Yale professor.
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Can anybody help me out on this following: I have writing samples that are not related to my field of study. Since applications are mostly due in the next two weeks, is it worth trying to finish up the field related writing sample or should I just go ahead with ones that are graded well but unrelated?
Thanks
I guess it depends how unrelated? Are you thinking of using another history paper which isn't exactly related to the subfield you want to work in? Or are you talking about using a writing sample from a completely different field?
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In my personal opinion, the best thing to do to study for the verbal section is to learn as many of the GRE vocabulary words as you can.
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I agree with what was posted above. It seems that you would not be identified as an international student because you are a US permanent resident, but do you consider yourself to bilingual in English? Otherwise, since English isn't your native language they might still refuse to waive it (even if that is ridiculous).
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If committee members who aren't on committee duty have nothing to do with the applications - then why would it matter one way or the other whether the professor is on leave?
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Because 6 different professors have told me that few things are more rude, disqualifying, overbearing, presumptuous, and unprofessional than a PhD applicant showing up in professor's inbox. "There is no conceivable reason for you to bother them" one told me. I know others here have differing views and anecdotal evidence of it not hurting, but this woman no doubt gets hundreds of emails a day. One more will not help--especially to get info that I could probably get just as easy from the dept admin.
Well I am not applying in English, so perhaps its a difference in field. But I know several History professors who have strongly encouraged me to email potential professors, and said that they themselves as graduate committee members are highly dubious of any student who hasn't contacted them - because it suggests they aren't seriously interested in the program.
That was where my advice was coming from - but if this practice is taboo in English programs, I don't know what to tell you. It's a lot less likely that this professor on leave will read your application.
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Do you all think that if you mention a professor in a statement they will be contacted to see your app? I've been told that even when the prof is not on leave, this does not happen.
I think that depends very highly on the particular department, and there's no way to know how that particular department will function. It also probably depends on what percentage of the applications coming in mention that particular professor and so on. If 200 people mention wanting to work with one Prof, that person is probably not going to be handed a stack of all of those applications. But I think that in most departments any professor in the department (even one who is on leave) can ask to read any specific students application and so if you want to get ensure that your application is read by your POI, you need to alert them to the fact that you want to work with them.
Is there a reason you don't want to email this professor?
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You might want to email that professor and let them know that you are applying and that you are interested in working with him or her. Even if they are on leave, they will probably be able to answer emails and communicate with the department. If they think you are a good fit, they will likely ask to see your application and could possibly advocate on your behalf, but they would be much less likely to come across your application if they didn't know you were applying.
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Well, since you asked ^^ The argument I made involves authorship of the text. The previous scholarship on the source I worked with always assumed a single author. Most of the material in the text is from the early 14th century, but the handwriting is from the later 14th, so the argument has been that the source was compiled early 14th and then rewritten by a professional scribe later. BUT there's a discrepancy in the style of the first and second half of the text: the first half uses predominantly arabic numerals, the second half, roman numerals. So I argue this change is actually evidence of a second compiler from the second half of the 14th century, but that the handwriting of the second compiler was erased by the later recompiling by a professional scribe. So it's basically (I think) much more like your example 2, which is good (again, I think) but it's so wrapped up in Arabic and Roman numerals that I have to think that most people would find ten pages of it rather boring (nevertheless, I get way too excited when explaining it to people). It's not exactly "just reading paleography" but it is sufficiently complicated that my thesis adviser had me write up a 10 page appendix "map" to the text that lays out which pages are attributed to which compiler (which, obviously, I can't include with the sample).
So the technical half of my thesis is a lot of challenging the earlier scholarship and proving the evidence of the second compiler, and the second half of my thesis is then analyzing the differences between the two compilers historically (specifically, how their cultural identities were reflected in their writing, and how these identities reflect changes in merchant culture in the 14th century).
That actually does sound pretty interesting (at least to me) and I think, though probably technical, could be a strong argument.
But I think that Sigaba and ticklemepink are probably very right in that you should think about trying to combine your two halves into one concise argument (a very difficult task, I know). You were at least able to summarize the argument you made regarding the paleography and give one strong example pretty well.
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I have a similar question about cutting down writing samples. My full thesis is ~38 pages, but contains two separate (but crucially related, naturally!
) arguments: the first is a very close reading of paleography, and is fairly technical and dry, but is a really creative approach to the text (well, in my opinion, fwiw). The second argument is about the historical significance of the text (i.e. more conventional analysis) but is more, i guess interesting to anyone who doesn't find the minutiae of paleography exciting (almost everyone, i think?). Both reflect different strengths of mine, and I can't decide which one to use. I'm not sure whether the adcoms would prefer to see the originality of my close analysis, or the more conventionally entertaining sample. What do you all think? (Or am I overthinking this entirely and the adcoms don't care?)I like paleography a lot, but I think maybe to give better advice it might help to know more about what you use the paleography to do? As Maisenb mentioned, it can look like just language skills - are you (1) just reading the paleography and discussing the content of the document/(s), ie translating the paleography as you would a language, or are you (2) analyzing the mode of writing as a text in itself and making an argument based on what the specific aspects of the paleography mean?
I think either could be okay as a writing sample but the second above described case would be a lot more interesting to read.
HTH
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Quick question: Are you dead set on staying in New Jersey to get your PhD? It seems like an odd choice since there are so many PhD programs around the country (and world) and some of those farther schools might be a better fit.
Even if you are looking to stay in that area, have you considered the schools in NYC and PA which might be close enough as well?
To try to answer your actual question: Usually if you have an undergrad degree in History a terminal masters isn't required in order to get into a PhD program, though in some situations it might be helpful. It depends a lot on your particular background, skills, and interests.
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Hey Loimographia! So glad to see another medievalist around
especially another person interested late medieval social/economic history 
I think that applying with only three semesters of Latin and beginning work in French and Italian is probably going to be a weak spot in your application but one you could be able to work around if the rest of your application is strong. It's just tough because languages are so essential for medieval history but I think you're doing the best you can at the moment - you're showing them that you've identified how important the language preparations are and that you are working hard at gaining those skills.
Maybe someone else can offer more insight into this too but one grad student I know told me not to worry too much about having "proof" of knowing a language until you get in - lots of people learn languages outside of formal schooling and the grad committees can't always track down how and where you learned what. What matters is that when you get there to take your language test (pretty much always a test just on your reading ability and often with a dictionary) you prove that you can translate (most of) writing in that language into English.
Have you done primary source research using documents written in Latin? Also have you thought about continuing into intermediate level courses during the summer? A lot of colleges offer accelerated language classes that cover a years worth of the language in just a month and a half (although they unfortunately aren't cheap).
HTH
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quick question everyone:
If I want to mention a specific course title in my SOP, do I put it in quotation marks or what?
Fall 2012 Applicant Chit Chat
in History
Posted
This is a good point but certainly less relavent if the person in question was an American citizen and had done their undergrad at a US school.